Local kid heads to Oregon to work for Republican congressional hopeful and a photography show worth seeing

 * ...MID-TERM ELECTIONS: Looks like Robby McCarthy, one of the young guns in the office of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (not related), is leaving to become the finance director for a Republican running for an important Oregon congressional district. Robby will be on temporary leave to work for Scott Bruun (check out his website here) who is running against one-term incumbent Kurt Schrader in Oregon's 5th Congressional District. This is a big race for the Republicans as they try to exploit the economic malaise and President Obama's weaknesses in the mid-term elections. Robby is the son of Judi McCarthy, head of the Kern Community Foundation, and Rob McCarthy, owner and founder of Lightspeed Systems. He graduated from Garces Memorial High School and then the University of Southern California in 2006. He will return to the Bakersfield Republican congressman's office after the November elections.

 * ... AIR PARK: How many of you knew there used to be a small air strip up on Panorama Drive? Old timers will remember the La Cresta Airpark located between what is now Greenlawn Mortuary and Cemetery and Bakersfield College. The runway was situated almost perpendicular to Panorama Drive, meaning small planes taking off or landing sometimes had to fly over the bluffs. Houses now sit on the old air park land.

 * ... AIR FORCE: Nice to hear that Foothill High graduate Edward Ramirez has graduated from the Air Force Academy and is headed to Arizona for flight school. He is the son of Ruben and Virginia Ramirez. If you remember, Ruben was the long time wrestling coach at Arvin High School who died in 2000 of complications of a 1982 car wreck.  

* ... ART SHOW: If you've got the mid-summer blues, stop by The Padre Hotel to catch a show of some outstanding photography in the hotel's Farmacy Cafe. It's the work of Fred Castillo, a Bakersfield native who left town but returned in 2004 to help care for his ailing father. There will be about 14 prints on display of various sizes, all of them capturing the special mood, flavor and taste of our community. There is a stunning sunset shot of Fox Theatre and some interesting landscapes. The show opens Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and is sponsored by Don Martin's Metro Galleries, which consistently sponsors some of the best art seen in our town for years. (not all of the shots shown below will be on display)

 * ... WHERE'S WESTCHESTER? My earlier post about a burglary on 20th Street in Westchester drew this response from Geraldine Sproul: "As I have stated before many times, Westchester is located north of 24th Street. This area was developed in the late 1940s after World War II. I was living here then and well remember it. I live in Westchester as I am north of 24th Street. I am sorry to say ... 20th Street is not in Westchester."

* ... UNION AVENUE: Reader Donna Garone Calanchini dropped a note to recall "attending children's birthday parties at the old Carnation Ice Cream plan on Union Avenue in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Other fascinations on Union Avenue in those days were, of course, the Bakersfield sign stretching across the highway and the roundness of the Saddle 'n Sirloin building."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Esther Brandon: You know you're from Bakersfield when "a fellow customer at Blockbuster spits on the floor while browsing the slasher flics."

Lunch with the First Lady, home invasions, the new Ford and dogs at the museum

A few short takes around town, starting with a few locals having lunch today with First Lady Michelle Obama.
* FIRST LADY LUNCH: The annual First Lady's Luncheon will be held today at the Washington Hilton and four McCarthys from Bakersfield will be there. The wife of Congressman Kevin McCarthy, Judy, and daughter Meghan will be there, along with their guests Judi McCarthy and daughter Katie. Though not related the connections here are deep, so bear with me: the second Judi McCarthy is the chair of the Kern Community Foundation and founder of the Women and Girl's Fund, which I wrote about yesterday. Just so happens her son, USC grad Rob, works for the congressman in D.C. Daughter Katie is a grad of Loyola Marymount and works as a magazine editor in Los Angeles.
* HOME INVASIONS: Not sure about you, but the piece in today's Californian about home invasion robberies doesn't exactly make me feel any better. The story says most are not totally random, and that there always is some kind of connection - like a kid down the street who grew up to be a thug or someone who worked on your car or a former contractor. I'm not sure how this is supposed to calm any fears unless you have gone through life in total solitude. And it won't stop folks from arming themselves to the teeth to protect their castle. So the next time someone barges into your house and puts a 9mm Glock to your wife's head, think: "I should know this guy!:
* INCREDIBLE GAS MILEAGE: I wrote earlier (see post here) about a team from Ford setting out to get 1,000 miles out of a single tank of gas with the new Ford Fusion hybrid. Well, sales manager Chad Manning over at Jim Burke Ford tells me they did it. Actually, the team managed to get 1,445 miles (or 81 miles per gallon) out of the Fusion hybrid. This is one of Ford's hottest new models and every time they get one over at Burke Ford, it doesn't last.

* DOGS GONE WILD: I heard from Beth Pandol over at the Bakerfield Museum of Art that the museum is holding a "Doggone Morning" next Wednesday May 6. Folks can bring their dogs over for classes on training, obedience, behavior and breed characteristics. Wouldn't it be terrific if this led to some kind of "Big Dog" parade like they have in Santa Barbara every year? The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Contact David Gordon at 661-323-7219 for details.

Our kids: keeping up with where they are now

Nothing makes me feel better than to see our Bakersfield kids - from North and Stockdale and West and BHS and all the rest - succeeding and thriving. These are the same kids who gave us headaches and heartbreak in their teen years but now make our hearts swell with pride. Was sorry I missed the quick visit this past week of Robby McCarthy, son of Rob and Judi McCarthy. (Rob owns Lightspeed Systems and Judi is founder of the Women's and Girls' Fund of Kern County). Robby (pictured) now works in Washington, D.C. for Congressman Kevin McCarthy (no relation) and is having a ball. He was in the district helping with the annual Lincoln Day dinner and "working the district" to hear complaints and concerns from constituents. Robby graduated from Garces High School and later USC. He brought along a congressional intern named Freddy Barnes, son of Fred Barnes, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard and a regular on the Fox News network.
I also had lunch last week with Ray Dezember, the retired banker affectionately known as "Mr. Bakersfield" in recognition of his involvement in the community. Ray and wife Joan just returned from a long trip overseas that included a visit to Taipei where grand-daughter Suzy Dezember is now teaching English. One of Brent and Anna Dezember's girls, Suzy also graduated from Garces and later LMU. Ray was proud to say that Michelle, Suzy's sister and a graduate of Santa Clara, is working and living in Barcelona. Meanwhile, I hear Erica Smith (BHS and University of Arizona) is now in grad school at USC, which makes her father, retired endodontist and Trojan Bob Smith, happy. And finally, Leonard Bidart, owner of Bidart Brothers Farms, tells me his elder daughter Breanna (BHS and USC) is now living and working in Boston. So much talent and so much to be proud of.